When former journalist Sugita Katyal read the news of Madame Tussauds Delhi shutting shop in its Connaught Place outpost, she hollered out her delight on Twitter. “Some good news in these awful times! Bring back our beloved Standard restaurant!” The London-headquartered wax museum, a tourist magnet housing replicas of public figures, made its India entry in the latter half of November 2017. The historic Regal building, which once cradled grand old restaurants like Gaylord, Standard and Kwality, at the heart of the national capital was chosen as the appropriate site to host VIP waxworks. "I have fond memories of going to Standard with my father and eating a softy on the way out," says Katyal on the phone, unaware that the famous wax museum with over 20 branches across four continents hasn't quite given up on India.
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A company spokesperson highlighted parts on an official statement given out by Anshul Jain, general manager and director of the India arm of Merlin Entertainments, the parent company which manages The Tussauds Group. "Merlin Entertainments can confirm it will permanently close Madame Tussauds in Delhi in Connaught Place...it is felt that the current climate allows the UK-based company the opportunity to look at alternatives to continue its presence in India," the spokesperson pointed out from the statement, implying it is only going out of Connaught Place and will come back in a bigger avatar in a different location in Delhi-NCR.
"Madame Tussauds is such a waste. Even the new one will fail," says Katyal, slightly deflated. Whether or not Madame Tussauds Delhi relocates, its failure to attract a considerable number of visitors in India isn't just a pandemic-induced reality.
Considering how Indians comprise one of the biggest chunks of visitors at Madame Tussauds museums outside India (40-50 per cent of the total visitors in the Singapore and Bangkok museums, according to data reported by Merlin in 2018), launching in India was a no-brainer decision. Before Madame Tussauds landed in India, local, rough-and-ready wax museums in Kolkata, Mysore, Mussoorie, Lonavala and Bangalore were already exhibiting celebrity replicas. “Ever since we introduced Amitabh Bachchan as the first Bollywood figure in Madame Tussauds London in 2000, we have seen how Madame Tussauds appeals to the Indian consumer. Having a permanent attraction in the heart of the country's capital made perfect sense for the evolution of Madame Tussauds story," a Merlin official was quoted as saying in 2016. Merlin Entertainments, which also owns brands like SeaLife and Legoland, had announced an investment plan of 50 million pounds spread over 10 years at the time of its entry in India.
The visible lack of excitement on homeground for the mother of all wax museums could be attributed to fatigue or pricing. "I can pay in pounds for Madame Tussauds in London as a tourist, but I don't want to pay Rs 2000 for a family visit to the wax museum in India," says Sharad Kakkar, a marketing professional based in Gurugram.
While a pandemic has surely thrown a spanner in the company's plans in the Indian capital, it hasn't conceded a complete exit from India just yet. The wax statues have been stored in a another location at Delhi-NCR.
